A project by the CITRIS Data and Democracy Initiative at UC Berkeley and the Office of Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom

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November 28, 2013Author: CAFE Team

Take a few minutes to assign grades to the State of California on timely issues.

The California Report Card is an online platform developed by the CITRIS Data and Democracy Initiative at UC Berkeley and the Office of Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom that allows participants to advise the state government on timely policy issues. We are exploring how technology can streamline and structure input from the public to elected leaders, to provide them with timely feedback on the changing opinions and priorities of their constituents.

Since the California Report Card launched in early February 2014, over 20,000 participants from all 58 counties have assigned over 50,000 grades to the State of California and suggested issues for the next report card.

“The California Report Card is a new way for me to keep an ear to the ground. This new app/website makes it easy for Californians to assign grades suggest pressing issues that merit our attention. In the first few weeks, participants conveyed that they approve of our rollout of Obamacare but are very concerned about the future of California schools and universities. There was also statewide support for increased attention to Disaster Preparedness, so this has become one of my top priorities.” – Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom

“This platform allows us to have our voices heard. The ability to review and grade what others suggest is important. It enables us and elected officials to hear directly how Californians feel.” – Matt Harris, Ione, CA, California Report Card participant

“Report cards motivate learning by providing quantitative feedback on strengths and weaknesses. Similarly, the California Report Card has potential to motivate Californians and their leaders to learn from each other about timely issues. The patterns of participation and how they vary over time and across geography will help us design future platforms.” – Prof. Ken Goldberg, UC Berkeley.